The 7 Best Japanese Bonito Flakes (2023 reviews)

We consider a japanese bonito flake to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

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Our Top Picks:

Best overall: Buy: Yamahide Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best for clothing: Buy: Kaneso Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best for making Daishi stock with The kombu seaweed: Buy: Piermall cooking Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best for giving As Cat treats: Buy: Shirakiku brand Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best quality NATURAL Product: Buy: Unhas Asian snack box Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best for making Dashi stock: Buy: generic Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best for freshness: Buy: Tetsujin Japanese Bonito flake READ REVIEW

Best overall: Yamahide Japanese Bonito flake

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If you often find yourself scrambling for good flake, yamahide japanese bonito flake should be your first option for buying. It is great as cat treats, or as toppings to make japanese style tofu etc. It makes their coats shiny and soft. It is smoked, dried, it's fermented,that's what forms the katsuobushi flavor profile. It does smell, like fish plus has bonito flakes on the radar. It comes in a resealable bag, which is great, because it is a lot of bonito flakes.

They go absolutely bonkers over it and it's quite a bit cheaper than buying the bonito flakes that are packaged as cat treats, but they're the same thing.

• Very strong for making soup bases too
• Bonito for dashi/broth, and for use as topping to rice or noodles
• Definitely smells like smoked fish and not just dried fish
• Nice to share with pets who like a fishy treat or food topper

Best for clothing: Kaneso Japanese Bonito flake

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The kaneso japanese bonito flake is capable of outshining several other flake featured in this list in overall features for the price point. These bonito flakes are a must for making the Japanese soup base dashi. This brand is great because it's mostly full sized flakes. It does have a fishy odor (well, really, after all,) but that just increases its attraction. The flakes are protected from a bubble wrap when the package is opened. With Kombu and water, it works well to make a beautiful dashi that is clear and flavorful.

Cats love these and their coats are nice and shiny. The three-pack is an excellent value. It is great for clothing but not dried bonito flakes. There are no crumbs at all in the bottom of the bag.

• Good quality flakes, almost transparent since they are razor-thin
• Great smoky aroma and delicious mild umami flavor
• Excellent quality, fresh, and a great buy

Best for making Daishi stock with The kombu seaweed: Piermall cooking Japanese Bonito flake

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Next on the list, we've got yet another flake that manages to win our hearts. It's the piermall cooking japanese bonito flake and it's widely considered as flake that has the most suitable features. It is one of the most important fish in japanese cuisine, it is rarely eaten as the entr e of a meal. These salty flakes are combined with kombu seaweed to make dashi, the base stock for most japanese soups and broths. They taste great in noodle soup though, and with some sea weed and bean sprouts it's great and very filling. This one is much better quality because it's for cooking for humans.

These are large flakes, so for some dishes grinding is required. They can be pretty smelly when fresh but you get used to it. This stuff is easy to use, and can make a quick dashi to use in your sushi or your miso soup. The bag is resealable.

• Perfect snack to lure in cats
• Sprinkle on wet raw food to entice to eat, works every time
• Very authentic for making your own dashi

Best for giving As Cat treats: Shirakiku brand Japanese Bonito flake

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate flake. The shirakiku brand japanese bonito flake is exactly that - it's a simple flake that hits all the right notes. These Japanese fish flakes are rich in nutrients that add a perfect flavor to your japanese dashi stock. The larger surface area ensures maximum umami flavor infusion when boiled, and the super thin texture melts in your mouth when used as a topping. It will last quite some time and is resealable.

This is a good quality bonito flake. These are to be soaked in water to create a broth and then discarded. The scent is stronger than the taste. It makes great dashi too to add to that it is what fish food tastes like. It is a Japanese food staple and the large package is great value for money. It is good for giving as cat treats also.

• High protein keeps them fuller longer
• Delicious, use for dashi in making miso soup
• Best bonito for people and kitties
• Great for miso soup, and the cats love it

Best quality NATURAL Product: Unhas Asian snack box Japanese Bonito flake

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The unhas asian snack box japanese bonito flake should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. The Unha's Asian snack box furikake is a delightful set of seasoning sprinkles to shake liberally over rice, ramen, or pretty much anything else you want to give a good salty umami kick to. It has a savory flavor with an umami taste to it. It is good, not too over the top if used sparingly.

You will love to cook with and enjoy the variety furikake with it’s extremely rich flavor and uniquely light and airy crisp. It comes with a pouch of desiccant so the flakes will stay fresh. These flavoring are quite delicious and easy to use. If you want to keep the furikake crisp and fresh, you will need to either transfer it to a resealable or jar. This is a really great variety pack of furikake.

• Has an explosion of flavor and texture
• Adds a little bit of spice, saltiness and savory
• Enjoy tasting variety furikake in your cooking for a richer, more authentic experience

Best for making Dashi stock: generic Japanese Bonito flake

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate flake. The generic japanese bonito flake is exactly that - it's a simple flake that hits all the right notes. The fresh, refined, finely shaved Bonito Flakes (or Katsuobushi in Japanese), packed in small bags using aged bonito fish and shaved until small and thin. Each small bag contains 5g of soft shaving bonito flakes to store the freshness inside. It is safe for people refraining from salt, people who want to make baby food, and people who want to avoid unhealthy chemical seasonings.

You can use this as a pet snack because it is a natural product without additives and without msg.

• Safe product that everyone can consume with confidence
• Deliciously use bonito flakes as toppings on okonomiyaki, takoyaki salads, savory toast, etc
• Delicious to use as toppings and to make dashi stock
• Keep at room temperature, away from sunlight and high humidity

Best for freshness: Tetsujin Japanese Bonito flake

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The tetsujin japanese bonito flake is the best convenient flake on the market today. This big bag will easily fill 4 quart mason jars, lightly compacted. It provides a savory (umami) flavor to many soups, noodle and other dishes. It comes with it's rich aroma, lightly smoky flavor, and it's a game changer for your japanese dishes. They have a good smoky flavor.

This one pound package is huge and the bonito is very fresh tasting. It's tasty, authentic, and fresh. It takes 2 cups to make dashi, so it would go fast. It's also a fast way to make tasty fish stock or an excellent miso soup.

• Dark shreds, long pale ribbons, thicker bits
• Useful to have in any pantry
• Slightly thicker slice and larger dimensions for these flakes